Backstory
This is a collection Batonese histories, time lines, legends, stories, fairy tales and log books. Mythology and Religion *Magie in Baton *Religion and mythology in Baton *De zoektocht naar bijen History *The origin of the Dragon Ballad *Great Magicians *The Mighty Crafters *Lazar's Drainage, or: The drought of the South Lands *De drooglegging van de River Mernix *De reuzengondel van de Kanuna people en het dispuut met Nailbore Rock *Festival of the Singing Dragon Timeline This is a chronological record of all the events in the world of Bards, Beards & Birds. * 0 - 912 The empire of Anchoria in the south along the River Streddle. The country flourished especially around the year 600. *0 - Traditionally the year in with the Anchorian capital of Atadom was founded. The kingdom of Baton still keeps this foundation date as the base of its calendar. * 0 - The lands go through a period that is known as the time of Dragons & Dungeons. In these times dragons were living so far to the south that they were even inhabiting the area in which Mindolum is now located. These were rough times for the people, who were seeking a safe life hidden in dungeons in the hills. Over time, the dragons were driven further and further north and people took control over the land. *'500 - 900 Old Kingdom of Baton.' *800 - 915 - In the last century of the Old Kingdom a series of powerful bards lived in Baton. Indeed, the increased importance of the profession of bard was one of the reasons the Old Kingdom collapsed in the year 914. The sometimes violent competition between the king and the official court bard came to be known as The Final Say. In the end it the kings of Baton were able to establish their power at the cost of the minstrels. *911 - The Soga from the Western Deserts invade the country. Both Baton and Anchoria are suffering under the military campaign of the attackers. *913 - The curtain falls for the ancient Anchorian Empire as the Soga surprisingly break through the brittle Anchorian defences and conquer most of the lands. However, the Soga never succeed in establishing an effective rule and in just a few years their dominance erodes. The former lands of Anchoria then gradually become part of the Baton realm. *914 - The long lasting siege of Mindolum by the Soga fails. De extensive fighting has tired and thinned out the Soga troops and marks the end of their invasion. For Baton a period of restoring the damage from the past war starts. *915 - The fight between the king of Baton and his court bard is finally settled as the king makes use of the momentum that gained the expulsion of the Soga. This event marks the resolution of the Final Say and is also seen as the beginning of the New Kingdom in Baton. *'915-1037 Middle Kingdom of Baton' * 966 Marverick III king of Baton. * 984 - Old king Marverick III, who never learnt to read and write, accidentally gives away large pieces of land to his clerk. Marverick was attempting to organise administrative reforms, that were especially needed after the notoriously chaotic rule of his predecessor Wogglybal. His clever clerk, Runk, made use of the weaknesses of the king and secretly made up contracts with which he personally became the owner of certain lands in Baton. These lands, which are now known as Clerk's Grounds and Clerk's Groves, for some time formed the tiny kingdom of Runkrealm. Self proclamed Runk was slain by Marverick's sucessor Blurth in 992. * 986 - Blurth king of Baton *999 - Winnetou, cook of Blurth, made himself king in 31th of December 999, after he accidentally poisoned the whole royal family with a peculiarly resilient piece of T-bone. He was in office approximately from 19:30 to 23:00, making his rule the shortest in history. * 1037 - Dammart, the dragon mother from the north, trespasses into Mindolum and claims the throne. The king is killed by the dragon and de population suffers under the dragon's terror. Moro the Bard writes the famous Dragon Ballad collects a band of warriors, princes and musicians and travels to the Fountainhead, the core of the world. The performance of the ballad in 1039 makes the dragon leave Baton in a rush. The situation in the liberated realm deteriorates in a fierce struggle between elites. Moreover, the return of the prestigious Moro the Bard in 1040 rises expectations that the days of the Final Say have returned. However, the bard is uninterested in power and instead tries to settle disputes with the establishment of the Republic of Baton. *'1040-1086 - Republican period.' *1030-1250 - Age of the Great Magicians. This was a period in which several unusually gifted magicians lived that made great advances in magical sciences. Dengi was the first Great Magician. *'1086-present - New Kingdom of Baton.' *1215 - The dark forces in Deep Grim grow powerful under the leadership of the dark wizard Lazar Wichshard. The wars that break out between the advancing troops of darkness and the army of Baton cause many casualties. *1216 - Lazar Wichshard's advance is stopped in The Petty Grounds. Taking revenge for the lost battle Lazar casts a powerful curse over Mindolum and the southern lands. In a few years the lands lose their fertility and stop producing grain. This event is known as Lazar's Drainage. *1219 - Defeat of Lazar Wichshard. According to historians the quick collapse of Lazar's rule is directly linked to the immense magical energy he spend on Lazar's Drainage in 1216. The curse drained his power and led to his fall. Meanwhile large parts of Baton are experiencing a famine as a consequence of the curse. *1225 - After attempts to import large amounts of grain and food over sea, a begin is now made with the foundation of Punnett's Granary. The colonists are building a city that shall from then on deliver large amounts of food to the rest of the kingdom. *1230-1290 - The age of The Mighty Crafters. Many of them came from Nailbore Rock, a town which at that time was not really incorporated in the kingdom. The crafters built a great many structures, such as Punnett's Granary. * 1295 - Tarquin of Mindolum designs the Medicine Garrison, the fortifications between Knüm's Peaks, in order to control the passage for future invaders from the west. Because of Tarquin's death two years later, the building project is stalled until it is picked up again by king Ablefirth in 1352. The project has been regarded as the final undertaking by the Mighty Crafters. * 1302 - In the far west the Curcumin Federation is formed. * 1306 - The establishment of timpani orchestra "En Masse" in Nailbore Rock. *1315 - This was, according to the legend, the year in which Leighn, the Singing Dragon, came down from the mountain and sang for the people. *1343 - The Kanuna People for the first time cut the flow of the River Mernix with their dams. Mindolum sends an army that reopens the river successfully. Not much damage is done. *1349-1369 Ablefirth Fogtracker and his wife Murth rule the country in harmony. All the birds sing a semi tone higher. * 1352 - King Ablefirth relaunches the building of the Medicine Garrison, the fortifications between Knüm's Peaks. Scoutmaster William is born * 1367 - In a supreme act of equalitarian lawmaking, and building on late king Odkar's legislation, king Ablefirth decides that actors will now share their roles with their spouses, brothers and sisters. This controversial theatre law set the scene for the murder of the king by his brother in a theatre play 2 years later. * 1369 - Methim kills his brother Ablefirth in a royal theatre play and becomes king of Baton. He immediately starts ruling the country with an iron fist as Methim I. * 1377 - Severe economic crisis by the mismanagement of Methim. Ablefirth's controversial theatre laws are reversed. * 1389 - At last the Medicine Garrison is completed. *1380 - Walnuth I king of Baton. *1391 - The last time that the desert nomads threaten the Low Quarter of Mindolum with their pillaging invasions. The invaders overran the newly built Medicine Garrison and followed the river south until Mindolum. Scoutmaster William publishes The Brave Bard: Musical Defence in a Hostile World. * 1392 - Walnuth I goes on the offensive and decides to conquer large parts of the Western Deserts, overcoming the need for defensive works at the western borders. *1398-1404 - King Walnuth gathers a magnificent fleet and goes on campaign against the pirates in the south. Although he gets bored after a while and returns home to fight new enemies, the expedition lasts 6 years and significantly decreases pirate activity around the Mersy Sea. *1402 - Scoutmaster William publishes The Brilliant Bard: The Book of Musical Wildlife. *1408 - Walnuth II the Mild king of Baton * 1412 - Establishment of the Dragon Observation Centre in the far north. *1414 - Chris I becomes king of Baton *1416 - King Chris is lost in a boutique. His wife, Marekka the Smooth, becomes queen of Baton. *1421 - Remley Fox I king of Baton. Scoutmaster William dies. *1424 - Orka, father of Archimedes is born. *1429 - Walnuth III king of Baton. * 1432 - The year of Walnuth's Parade, in which the king and his court bard visited several places in the kingdom, accompanied by a grand parade. Combining his hard power with the bard's soft power, Walnuth deeply impressed the Grass roamers. *1433 - Walnuth III's first expedition against the pirates. The ships he sends defeated several pirate vessels on high sea and captures the treasures it was transporting. However, on the way back to Baton one of the two surviving galleons boarded the other one and ran away with the loot. The ship's crew presumably joined the pirates later on. *1435 - Ann is born. *1436 - Mister A. is born. *1437 - King Walnuth wages war against the pirates for the second time. This second expedition was a disaster in military sense as by accident, after the fleet commander died from a mysterious incident involving a squid and a collection of quilts, the sea cook was elected commander of the fleet. The fleet visited several exotic and far away places and collected a lot of culinary inspiration, but never caught sight of a pirate vessel. What Baton gained from the campaign was the now famous . *1440 - Military campaigns of Baton into the Western Deserts. The fight against the nomads costs the state a lot of money and manpower while giving little reward. Orka joins military campaigns. *1444 - Walnuth sends a war fleet to raid the pirates for the third time. He hits the pirate federation in the heart by attacking and destroying the pirate base in <>. *1446 - Hilip I king of Baton *1450 - The Kanuna People are having problems with a continuing plague of tree snakes in their floating village and, spoiled as they are, request help from the king of Baton. Not liking the rejection from Mindolum, they close off the River Mernix for the second time, paralysing the trade and food growing downstream. The eldest inhabitants of Baton, especially the Old Rockers, can still remember how their parents experienced the events. This time the kingdom suffered much more, as the weak king in Mindolum failed to react forcefully. His reign was increasingly unstable and fell after a severe food crisis. *1452 - The Kanuna People bow for the tree snakes and decide to leave their floating village. They go live in gondolas instead. As they leave their village they also give up on the blockade of the River Mernix. * 1454 - Orka Featherbeard, the Throne Seated,, father of Archimedes I, takes over the throne of Baton after a short palace coup. *1463 - Archimedes is born. *1467 - Foundation of the Dragon Zoo by Mister A. Bob is born. *1469 - Mister B. is born. *1470 - Alice Wrengrove is born in the Grimwald. Bart, father of Emmon, is born. *1476 - Valeria Vata-Valóta is born. * 1479 - Opening of the Jolly Fair. * 1486 - First meeting of the Big Industry Club, chaired by Mister A. *1492 - Percy is born. *1493 - Mister A. dies from a mysterious pooling accident. *1494 - Bob undertakes a campaign to the north to catch dragons. The expedition fails and when he comes back he has lost his mind. Mister B. subsequently becomes the new director of BBusiness and takes control over the Dragon Zoo. *1495 - Eckhardt is born. Emmon is born. Mister B. initiates the construction of Fun Haven Island. *1498 - Olivia is born. *1501 - Fun Haven Island opens its door. The theme park, although a success, doesn't make the profit Mister B. anticipated. *1506 - After a long struggle, Mister B. has to close down the Jolly Fair and declare it bankrupt. *1515 - Emmon's first performance as a bard is a disaster. The game Bards, Beards and Birds begins here. Big celebration of the 200 year anniversary of the legend of Leighn at the Festival of the Singing Dragon. Begin of the Main Quest. Timeline of court bards of Baton *800-900 powerful bards *892-906 Notable events: final say resolved. *'500 - 900 Old Kingdom of Baton.' *Azmarin (961-1018) *1023-1038 Moro (±985-1048) *A family of bards (several generations) were part of an odd cult and tried to influence the king to introduce some strange new deities. * A bard with a very bad memory, who had to remember the king's family tree, invented more and more royal family members, making the king even believe he was a descendant of <>. His musical improvisations were also notorious, for as he sometimes forgot when he started a piece, he could some extend a song with several hours. *'915-1037 Middle Kingdom of Baton'. *'1040-1086 - Republican Period.' *'1086-present - New Kingdom of Baton.' *1100-1200 some kings continuously fired their bards * Laurius Middlebrush, wrote many famous stories, often involving a clarinet. His work helped the acceptance of Grass Roamers into the kingdom, who where often discriminated against. * Scoutmaster William (1396-1400 and 1402-1416) *Bart Tumblescream (1470-present) Timeline of kings of Baton *'500 - 915 Old Kingdom of Baton.' *915 Strong king Fao II *'915-1037 Middle Kingdom of Baton'. * 958-966 Wogglybal I, made a mess of the kingdom's administration that took years to decipher * 966-986 Marverick III, accidentally gave lands away to his clerk. * 986-999 Blurth Ironstreak, re-incorporated the Runkrealm into the kingdom. Died during millennium celebrations from a peculiarly resilient piece of T-bone, just before the new year stared. * 999 Winnetou, cook of Blurth, made himself king in 31th of December 999, after he accidentally poisoned the whole royal family with a peculiarly resilient piece of T-bone. He was in office approximately from 19:30 to 23:00, making his rule the shortest in history. *-1037 Notable events: killed by Dammart the dragon. *'1040-1086 - Republican Period.' *'1086-present - New Kingdom of Baton.' *1086-Hugon, Avaret *1200-Houses of Beans, Beamfish, Fogtracker *1150-1164 Harangue the Acrimonious. Notorious for his verbal arguments. Patron of the Weasel League. *1164-1216 Barnem Beamfish. Became very old, fired many bards. (1129-1216) *1216- Avaret Beamfish. Just in time to deal with wichshard. Only worked at night. *1304-1319 Syd II Fogtracker. Leighn *1319-1326 Ayleth Fogtracker She could become queen because her father made it possible for women to inherit before their brothers if they were older. *1326-1331 Miseon Fogtracker She hated life but loved her sadness. Collected her tears in a special pool. *1331-1338 Odgar Fogtracker. Had highly unwilling and fastgrowing hair. Killed in a mysterious magical hairstyling experiment. *1338-1339 Emota Fogtracker. Sister of Odgar. Warm but too trusting. *1339-1349 Malgo Fogtracker the Stern. Stole the throne from his sister Emota. Strong but cruel king surpressed the Kanuna problems. * 1349-1369 Ablefirth Fogtracker and his wife Murth rule the country in harmony. All the birds sing a semi tone higher. * 1369-1380 Methim Fogtracker. Violently took over the throne from his brother Ablefirth in a theatre play. Ruled the country as a cruel dictator and caused an economic crisis by mismanagement. *1380-1408 Walnuth I Marblestain. Defeated desert nomads. Military king who kept the country in a constant state of mobilisation. Became insane. *1408-1414 Walnuth II Marblestain the Liar. He lied very often, that is not a useful characteristic when you are a king. *1414-1416 Chris Marblestain. Remembered for his good looks. Was lost in a boutique *1416-1421 Marekka the Smooth. Took over the throne from her lost husband Chris. *1421-1429 Remley Fox I Marblestain. Had a curious obsession for woodland animals *1429-1446 Walnuth III Marblestain. Military King (-1446) *1446-1454 Hilip I Marblestain (-1454) Very weak king. *1454-1489 Orka I Featherbird the Throne Seated (1424 - 1489) *1489-present Archimedes I Featherbird (b. 1463)